January 29, 2010

Just do it. Three simple words that need no introduction. Nike’s slogan embodies determination, motivation, and success. Nike is positioned in the mind of consumers as the leader in athletics, with products that will make consumers run faster, jump higher, and perform better. Of course these are aspirational benefits, but Nike wants its consumers to believe that with its products, they can just do it. Nike wants to motivate its consumers.

Nike’s slogan works as much more than a catchy marketing tool to draw in consumers. It stands at the core of their brand. Nike has been, and forever will be about success, achievement, and just doing it. With three short words, Nike sends a compact message that defines the brand’s purpose – motivating athletes to succeed. Compactness makes core messages easy to understand, and most importantly, compactness makes core messages sticky. Everyone remembers “Just Do It.”

However, a compact slogan is not enough. That’s why Nike ensures that every one of its communication points relates back to its core idea of motivation. Nike recently ran an outdoor ad campaign, in which a gigantic white billboard read, “Yesterday you said tomorrow.” The campaign itself is blatantly simple – black text on a white background. However, it is sticky as well. The text implies that the reader must get motivated to be active, or as Nike might say, to just do it. In four simple words, the billboard ties back into Nike’s slogan, perfectly fitting the core message of motivation.

By having all of its communication points work within the core compact idea of Nike’s brand identity, Nike avoids burying the lead. In other words, the core message is always placed first. Therefore the core message will always be the first message relayed to the consumer, which in marketing is the most important step.